Helping to give moths a good name

Saturday

Jul 28, 2012 at 12:01 AMJul 28, 2012 at 5:00 AM

By Peg QuannStaff writer

SOUTHAMPTON — A sudden burst of windy weather delayed their arrival at the party in their honor. But soon they began fluttering in — fashionably late — attracted by the bright light and all the people there to see them.

Hundreds of moths finally showed up at the Pinelands Preservation Alliance on Tuesday night, hovering by the light and landing on a white fabric set up behind it, all the better for spectators to see them.

This is the first National Moth Week. It was conceived by a group of moth enthusiasts in New Brunswick and already has attracted the attention of others who like moths and their cousins, butterflies, in every state except North Dakota and several foreign countries.

“I have a feeling nobody lives in North Dakota,” said Elena Tartaglia, a doctoral student at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. She was the guest speaker at the outdoor symposium, along with Matt Sichel of Chesterfield, who graduated from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey with a degree in environmental science. Identifying moths is an avid interest of his.

Tartaglia and Sichel like moths and want others to understand why these nighttime pollinators are such a misunderstood species.

Most people identify moths with either scary movies or holes in their woolen clothing.

But there are only a few species that are pests; most are beneficial pollinators who help bees in their task of helping plants produce fruits.

“As I studied, I got more interested in them,” Sichel said, as he helped visitors to the alliance headquarters on Pemberton Road identify some of the moths they were seeing near the bright, 400-watt light set up for the evening.

Before sunset, Tartaglia presented an overview of the world of moths and butterflies, so the more than 50 people who attended the workshop could learn just how important they are in the food chain.

Not only do they help pollinate plants, but they are food sources for animals from bats to bears.

Did you know that moths and butterflies have some of the best color vision in the animal kingdom? That’s why their eyes are so large.

Or that some moths have a long tube called a probiscus that they use to suck nectar out of flowers? They need the nectar because they use enormous amounts of energy just fluttering around.

“They can’t chew pollen,” Tartaglia explained, so all of the pollen they pick up off one plant can be transferred to another to help propagate the plants.

What’s especially good about moths is that they are neglectful parents.

“They’re not the best parents. They lay their eggs and they’re off,” she said. Their baby caterpillars, like butterfly caterpillars, take care of themselves until they turn in pupas and then into adult moths.

Since they don’t have to come home at the end of the day or night to care for their offspring or to make honey, like bees do, they roam far and wide, helping to ensure that the plants they pollinate aren’t getting pollen from close relatives, which would lead to inferior baby plants, genetically.

Most of us think of moths as ugly ducklings to the butterfly’s regal appearance, but there are some beautiful moths, like the Rosy Maple Moth that showed up late for the party. Tartaglia brought a whole case of pretty moths that live in New Jersey for the alliance visitors to see.

Amy Karpati, director of conservation science for the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, said she was happy that so many people came out to see the world of moths. Tartaglia has been a friend since her days in graduate school at Rutgers.

“I knew she did that in her research. I wanted her to come even before I knew about National Moth Week,” she said.

Claire Campbell of Evesham said she has visited the butterfly garden at Smithville Mansion in Eastampton and has started studying the butterflies in her own backyard.

“A few moths showed up. I figured I can learn about moths too,” she said.

Tom Vonderahe of Lumberton brought his three children — Matthew, 11; Sarah, 8; and Rebekah, 5, — to see the workshop.

Sarah has a butterfly net and wanted to share a difference between moths and butterflies: “Moths are harder to hold,” she said. “They rest with their wings open. It’s harder to get a grip on them. They could fly away.”

As she watched for moths to land on the sheet near the light, Gail Hoofnagle of Evesham said she enjoyed the evening.

“This is good. We get to communicate with nature,” she said.

Peg Quann: 609W-871-8057;

email: pquann@phillyBurbs.com;

Twitter: @pequann

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